Power, the greatest intoxicant?

What is power? In essence, it is the exercising of influence of the privileged few over the impotent many. Despite frequent failed attempts at equality and socialism, the dreamy Marxist foresees a time when there need not be a distant, all-powerful leader/government, unassailable to the people, whose sole purpose lies in continuing their domination, but a fairer, better system where no figurehead is needed. In practice, this seems to merely expediate/exacerbate the unavoidable process of deterioration and degeneration. I don’t propose a solution to all the world’s socio-political problems, but perhaps a step in the right direction would be to improve the existing system of government.

In George Orwell’s 1984, the Party is the embodiment of the nightmare government. In revolutionary terms, it is unassailable for a number of reasons:

1. the army, vital in a revolution of any kind, stand to gain nothing

2. the proletariat are too stupid and their inertia is too great

3. the Two Minutes Hate channels the anger against Emanuel Goldstein

4. Big Brother acts as a figurehead

5. the party members are scrutinised too closely

In a not dissimilar fashion, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World shows how oxygen-deprivation on embryos can be used to solidify a class system not light years from ours. Through the use of soma and height/intelligence categories, the population if amused while only the very uppermost echelons of society grasp the stifling of creativity being practised in the interests of stability.

power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely

History provides numerous examples of intolerably egotistic despots, whose insane depravation was caused by their desire to dominate and oppress. There have been few if any men who have experienced power and willingly relinquished it. However, the truly dangerous intoxicant is absolute power. Absolute power conjures ancient images of mortals reaching god-like status, although it is sobering to realise that the ‘divine right of kings’ was a valid concept until only a few centuries ago.

Is it possible to control or direct a society which has evolved to exist without leadership or would that be similar to a headless chicken running about aimlessly and eventually tripping over? Perhaps that is the next step after democracy, or will the human race be eliminated by a xenophobic alien life form before we ever know.